Why You Should Book Southwest Flights In Advance

Traveling can be a very fun and exciting time for people. Some travels take you to a tropical beach, a new city, or even a different country. No matter where you are traveling or what you are traveling for, there is always one thing that travelers have in common; they want to save as much money as possible. With airlines charging for every bag and every peanut, it can be difficult to find a good deal on flights. However, there is an airline that can provide good discounts and that airline is Southwest. This airline is still providing a free drink and snack in-flight, as well as allowing passengers to have one carry-on bag, along with one personal item that can fit under the seat (purse, backpack, or other small items) for free. They are also expanding their destinations throughout the United States, as well as outside the country. However, there is a downside with all this popularity. The flights go quickly and if you do not book in advance, you will not get a good flight, or even get a flight at all. Booking your Southwest flight early is essential to a wonderful flying experience.

With all airlines, including Southwest, it is important to book your flight far in advance. There are many reasons for this. When you book your flight further in advance, you will get a cheaper ticket price. As the flights get more and more passengers, there is more of a demand for seats, which means the price of the seats will be higher. With Southwest’s popularity, seats are going quite quickly. On a recent flight to San Diego from Denver at 8:55am, the flight was fully booked, and there were people still trying to get tickets the day before the flight.

Southwest.com has a low fare calendar where you put in your date of travel, and they show you which days have the cheapest prices to fly. Even though passengers have the option to look at the cheapest options that Southwest has to offer, booking in advance will get you even cheaper flights. For example, the date today is August 20th. If you look at the calendar for the rest of the month, the prices are all $200 or above. If you look at the calendar for November, three months in advance, fares are as low as $94. With at least a $100 difference in pricing, it makes sense why you should book your flight for Southwest early. Your wallet will thank you.

Southwest does not assign passengers a seat, rather, they have a different check-in process that allows people to choose their seats. You are able to get your boarding pass 24 hours before your flight time. You will either be assigned group A, B, or C, and number between 1-60. Of course, the A group will board first, then family or assisted boarding, then B, then C. The sooner you print your boarding pass, the better. On the recent flight from Denver to San Diego, the boarding passes were printed at 11:00am the day before, and the flight was at 8:55am the next day. With four people, the passengers were in the back of the B group, and the passengers had to sit in the very back of the plane because those were the only seats together. You should go online the minute your boarding passes are available in order to get the best seats on the plane.

With Southwest being as popular as it is, booking your flight in advance will be very helpful. You can get a cheaper fare, and still bring on your bags for free, as well as get that free snack. Southwest is known for having low fares, along with not charging for all of the amenities, but unless you book in advance, you may not be able to take advantage of these low prices.